Hard disk drives are used to store digital data. An example of a HDD is shown in FIG. 1. The HDD may include a read/write head 1, which reads and writes digital data to a magnetic storage medium 2. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.
The read/write head 1 is part of the head stack assembly (HSA) 20, shown in more detail in FIG. 2. The HSA 20 includes a head 1, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 3, and an actuator assembly 4. The HGA 3 holds the head 1 above the storage medium 2 while the actuator assembly 4, which pivots on pivot 21, positions the HGA 3 so that the head 1 is above one of the many tracks on one of the platters of the storage medium 2. The actuator assembly may also include a voice-coil motor (VCM) as port of the actuator assembly 4.
A typical HDD has mechanical components enclosed within a casing that consists of two main parts, a base casing and a cover. Either the base casing or the cover may have a relatively flat surface, while the other side may have a bowl-shape to accommodate the components that are enclosed therein. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical HDD 10 in the art today, where the base casing 6 is bowl shaped, and the cover, although not shown would have a relatively flat surface.
FIG. 3 shows a typical HDD that is known in the prior art. According to FIG. 3, the HSA 20, the spindle motor 301, one or more platters 302, and the spindle cover 303 are attached to the base casing 6. After these parts are attached, the cover 401 and an electric control body 402 are attached to the base casing as shown in FIG. 4.
Great care needs to be used when assembling components to the base casing 6, as the actuator assembly 4 and HGA 3, including the head(s) 1, are very fragile and the process of assembling the spindle motor 301 with the storage medium 302 and the disk cover 303 may damage these parts, since attaching the medium 302 and the disk cover 303 with the spindle motor requires a significant twisting force. In addition, because both the spindle motor 301 and storage medium 2 are assembled in the same section of the casing 6 as the HSA 20, the assembly steps occur serially, which wastes time as compared to an assembly process which uses parallel steps to assemble the cover and base casing.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a method and device, which may separate assembling steps of the hard drive into parallel steps by allowing the actuator and other read/write components to be assembled in a section of the casing that is different from the section of the casing where the spindle motor and storage medium are assembled.